Do LDS Prophets Really Talk To God?

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RebeccaJ said:
Using search engines in an attempt to continue to hide truth, gambling people will not scroll a couple of inches down and choose another link. Kind of silly if you think about it. 🙂
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It seems a rather sad focus for a church, ad agencies, surveys, working to skew internet searches.🤷
 
lax16 said:
Parker - I understand that the retirement at age 70 is a recent development… Is that why his book is entitled “To the Rescue”?
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Lax16,

We have a copy of the book “To the Rescue” in our home. You might take a few minutes to peruse it if you have the chance, so that you will easily find by looking on the flyleaf or in the opening chapter, that the words “to the rescue” were used as the title because President Monson is known for (1) visiting and aiding the widows, first as a young bishop at age 22 in Salt Lake City, then ongoing throughout his many callings in the church, speaking at the funeral of almost every widow who had been within his ward when he was their bishop–because of their personal request or their family’s request that he speak at their funeral, because they had a sincere appreciation for his many acts of personal service to them.

He is also known for (2) visiting war-torn Germany several times after World War II with many personal acts of service and of strengthening influence for those being helped to rise from the ravages of the war.

He is also known for (3) being one of the key leaders involved with giving leadership and direction to the Welfare program and the Humanitarian Service “rescue efforts” of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and those efforts are also highlighted in the biography about his life.
 
ParkerD said:
Lax16,

We have a copy of the book “To the Rescue” in our home. You might take a few minutes to peruse it if you have the chance, so that you will easily find by looking on the flyleaf or in the opening chapter, that the words “to the rescue” were used as the title because President Monson is known for (1) visiting and aiding the widows, first as a young bishop at age 22 in Salt Lake City, then ongoing throughout his many callings in the church, speaking at the funeral of almost every widow who had been within his ward when he was their bishop–because of their personal request or their family’s request that he speak at their funeral, because they had a sincere appreciation for his many acts of personal service to them.

He is also known for (2) visiting war-torn Germany several times after World War II with many personal acts of service and of strengthening influence for those being helped to rise from the ravages of the war.

He is also known for (3) being one of the key leaders involved with giving leadership and direction to the Welfare program and the Humanitarian Service “rescue efforts” of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and those efforts are also highlighted in the biography about his life.
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Hi Parker - It seems as if President Monson has performed many charitible acts in his life.
However, I still think there is a connection between his attempt at rescuing the LDS church from fleeing members and his past endeavors of performing good acts. Thus, he is known as one who comes to the rescue, right?

** With defections rising, the church has launched a program to stanch its losses. The head of the church, President Thomas Monson, who is considered a living prophet, has called the campaign “The Rescue” and made it his signature initiative, according to Jensen. The effort includes a new package of materials for pastors and for teaching Mormon youth that address some of the more sensitive aspects of church doctrine. “If they are not revolutionary, they are at least going to be a breath of fresh air across the church,” Jensen told the Utah class**
 
ParkerD said:
SteveVH,

It is the language of the Intercessory prayer in the New Testament, the language of the Book of Mormon, the language of the Doctrine and Covenants, and the language of the Old Testament. They are “One God” or “the Lord is One”.

My belief that They are “One God” differs from yours profoundly, it is true, but for me to say They are “One” is absolutely in agreement with my firmly, deeply held beliefs about the Godhead, and absolutely in agreement with the Savior’s intercessory prayer where He used the word that translated to be “one”, and used it several times.
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It not only differs from my view “profoundly”, but with that of all Christians and Jews. “I am the Lord, there is no other…” is pretty clear. Mormonism is profoundly polytheistic in its foundational beliefs and there is really no getting around that fact. We become one with God because the one God lives within us, not because we agree with him. We become one because we are the one mystical Body of Christ, not because we become seperate gods with the same purpose. Again, we have been over this countless times, as you very well know. And I still maintain that claiming that you believe in one God is nothing but a cover in an attempt to fit in with the Christian world in order to draw people into Mormonism. Why can you not just admit that you believe in many gods which are one in purpose only and not one in the same sense that the rest of Christianity believes?
 
here there is again a faulse analogy.
Same moral value doesn’t make you belong to the same religion belief.
You can be atheist and having strong moral value, and being socially extremely involved in any kind of aid.
I don’t critic, as I don’t think anybody here critic the moral value of mormons, we are critic of their wiew of christianity and about the “revelations” of J.Smith.
They also tend to make an anylogy between the “words of wisdoms” and the positive result of these “laws” to respect as clearly coming from God.
If you eat well, exercise, don’t smoke and walk 5 miles a day youwill be in better shape then someone else that has a very sedentary life and that eat in a bad way. You cannot try to weight faith from the result since the results don’t say anything about where is your heart. Remember the parabole of the Publican and the Pharisean at the temple. The second one moral behaviour and life without any doubt should have made him more worthed instead…
Mormons have alot of confusion what does it mean “you could judge from the fruits”.
Christianity is not to give men the instruction how to be saved. Is to be saved by Jesus.
Not many rules came from the Word of Jesus…
 
lax16 said:
Hi Parker - It seems as if President Monson has performed many charitible acts in his life.
However, I still think there is a connection between his attempt at rescuing the LDS church from fleeing members and his past endeavors of performing good acts. Thus, he is known as one who comes to the rescue, right?

** With defections rising, the church has launched a program to stanch its losses. The head of the church, President Thomas Monson, who is considered a living prophet, has called the campaign “The Rescue” and made it his signature initiative**, according to Jensen. The effort includes a new package of materials for pastors and for teaching Mormon youth that address some of the more sensitive aspects of church doctrine. “If they are not revolutionary, they are at least going to be a breath of fresh air across the church,” Jensen told the Utah class
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Lax16,

If you were familiar with a hymn in a Latter-day Saint hymnal that has been around since before 1920, entitled “Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd”, then the words
“Off to the rescue we’ll hasten
Bringing them back to the fold”
(in the chorus for the fourth verse)
would be familiar to you, and the word “rescue” wouldn’t stand out as something unusual.

President Hinckley (prior to President Monson) also sought to emphasize keeping new converts in the church through leaders seeing that they felt welcome, received a calling since participating helps one continue to feel the Holy Ghost, and had home teachers.

The emphasis on “continued rescue and strengthening members (especially youth)” has been something I have always seen emphasized during my lifetime by the general and local leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
 
ParkerD said:
Lax16,

If you were familiar with a hymn in a Latter-day Saint hymnal that has been around since before 1920, entitled “Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd”, then the words
“Off to the rescue we’ll hasten
Bringing them back to the fold”
(in the chorus for the fourth verse)
would be familiar to you, and the word “rescue” wouldn’t stand out as something unusual.

President Hinckley (prior to President Monson) also sought to emphasize keeping new converts in the church through leaders seeing that they felt welcome, received a calling since participating helps one continue to feel the Holy Ghost, and had home teachers.

The emphasis on “continued rescue and strengthening members (especially youth)” has been something I have always seen emphasized during my lifetime by the general and local leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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Hi Parker -
I would have to say that it is Jesus Christ who comes to our rescue and that even though he can work through people, no humble person would ever take credit for it. Let alone have a book written about oneself claiming to be the one doing the rescuing…🤷

Ever time I see the book advertised on PBS (which is almost daily) I wonder why any man would think he is coming to anyone’s rescue.
 
lax16 said:
Hi Parker -
I would have to say that it is Jesus Christ who comes to our rescue and that even though he can work through people, no humble person would ever take credit for it. Let alone have a book written about oneself claiming to be the one doing the rescuing…🤷

Ever time I see the book advertised on PBS (which is almost daily) I wonder why any man would think he is coming to anyone’s rescue.
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Lax16,

I have no doubt that the author of the book and the publisher were allowed to choose the title.

'Kind of ironic that in the hymn, “Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd”, the first three verses include a chorus with the words, “Off to the rescue he hastens, bringing them back to the fold.” That is speaking of the Savior, and the fourth verse asks
“Make us thy true under-shepherds;
Give us a love that is deep.”

We don’t have any qualms within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about trying to learn to love as the Savior loved, and to serve as the apostles sought to serve, including looking after the poor, the neglected, the down-trodden, the widows, those suffering from natural disasters or from crises of many kinds. We don’t look back over our shoulder worrying that someone might think we aren’t being “humble” by serving even if it happens to get noticed by someone.

When women in my home ward (neighborhood) helped my wife with things around the house when we had a very complicated child birth situation, I didn’t think about whether they were being “humble” enough.

When I read heritage stories about pioneers or my own ancestors who served in various ways, I’m glad to read those heritage stories as examples of Christianity in action, and don’t worry about whether the fact that I am reading the example means that someone was being observed or someone thought an example would be good for their own grandchildren to read about in the future, to have a picture in mind of how to follow the Savior in action rather than just in words.

So I suppose we look at the world and the examples of service that are around us, with completely different eyes. I’m grateful to have had biographies to read as a youth, and grateful that my children have biographies of good examples of service to others, to read also and look up to and emulate in some way such as visiting rest homes which we have done as a family. It beats their having sports heroes or movie-star examples (which none of them have taken any interest in at all).😉

Peace to you and all readers.🙂
 
The Great Apostasy is happening now…people losing faith in God in many places of the world…not the Catholic Church as fruit of the this apostasy.
 
The voices you hear in your head is more than likely your conscience. This what guides you to do right from wrong.
 
We don’t hear voices in our heads…that is schizophrenia…

There is such a thing as developing one’s conscience…but the moral value of who we are and what are moral are actually what our souls are comprised of…made by God, of God, and for God…but we are given a free will…

And conscience is something always in need of being perfected…through study, prayer, reflection, and examination of conscience.
 
KathleenGee said:
We don’t hear voices in our heads…that is schizophrenia…

There is such a thing as developing one’s conscience…but the moral value of who we are and what are moral are actually what our souls are comprised of…made by God, of God, and for God…but we are given a free will…

And conscience is something always in need of being perfected…through study, prayer, reflection, and examination of conscience.
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How did the prophets of the bible talk to God then? It’s a bit much to say all of them had schizophrenia.
 
Read the Bible…they weren’t hearing things in their head.
 
InTheClouds said:
Hearing something from the sky shouting at you is a great sign of schizophrenia.
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No, any mental illness is only diagnosed when it leads to distress/dysfunction. If “someone in the sky is shouting at you” and your life improves as a result of applying what you heard, it is not mental illness. The psychological/psychiatric community refrains from commenting on what it is, however. 😉
 
Telstar said:
You might say that, but do LDS teach that Jesus was always God, long before He was born to Mary? If LDS believe Jesus is God, equal to the Father, then why do you refuse to pray to Him? Is it because He’s a lower class ‘god’?
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Because Jesus’ example, command and express wish is that we pray to The Father.
Telstar said:
Because, if there’s no ‘first cause’, then you’re left with a belief that** some kind of human being** is the only god that’s ever existed. That means you believe there’s no real ‘god’.
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No, that eternal entities with divine potential. We are human now, but that only describes our present, mortal state.
Telstar said:
The Pope and hierarchy of the Church are still guided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to guide all followers of Jesus in the right direction so they don’t stray from the Truth of Christ. That’s always been the main function of the hierarchy of the RCC.
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Do you mean that only the leadership are viewed as being led by the Holy Spirit, individuals do not receive this?
Telstar said:
It shows that there are Three distinct Persons in God, but Jesus said They are “One”. He also said there’s only One God, but He never said They’re only “one in purpose”.
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He said that we should be one with Him, even as He is one with His Father. The language of ‘even as’ indicates an identical situation, not merely vague similarity.
Telstar said:
If you think God ever needed to use matter or ‘intelligences’ that ‘always existed’ to ‘form’ things, then you’re placing huge limitations on Him. By thinking that He didn’t create all matter in the first place, you diminish His true power and dominion over all of His creations, including man.
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As I have pointed out previously, by saying that He didn’t do something (like create all matter from nothing) does by no means suggest that He couldn’t; and certainly does not diminish His power or limit Him in any way.
 
Mormon_Cultist:
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Do you mean that only the leadership are viewed as being led by the Holy Spirit, individuals do not receive this?
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No! But where does the Holy Spirit teach Mormons one thing and Baptist another thing and Jehovah Witnesses another and so on and so on? God teaches conflicting truths?
 
Mormon_Cultist said:
Because Jesus’ example, command and express wish is that we pray to The Father.
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What about the Father’s example, command and express wish?

And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. (Hebrews 1:6)
 
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